Security wallets

ABSTRACT

An adjustable security strap for a wallet worn by a user includes a strap  12  comprising a actual core  19  and a fabric sheath  20.  A slider  13  is stitched to one end of the strap  12  and surrounds and embrace over a length adjacent another end of the strap. The slider  13  allows the other end to be moved relatively to adjust the effective length of the strap as required.

[0001] The invention relates to security wallets.

[0002] It is common practice especially for travellers to ‘wear’ walletson their person making the likelihood of being robbed of the wallet orits contents less likely. Typically such wallets are secured to the userby a strap extending around a waist or a neck. However, the wallets arerelatively easily and quickly taken off a user by cutting the strap whenthe user is off-guard or in a conjested environment. It is already beenproposed therefore to make the strap very strong and/or include asubstantial cable in the strap which may be formed of steel wire, forexample. While this makes the strap virtually impossible to cut through,difficulties in providing a conveniently adjustable strap at relativelylow cost as required then arise.

[0003] It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least reducethis problem.

[0004] According to the invention there is provided adjustable securitystrap comprising a length of fabric-sheathed flexible metal cable, inwhich one end of the cable is fixedly attached to slider thatfrictionally slidingly receives the other end of the cable to allow theeffective length of the strap to be adjusted, by sliding the endsrelative to one another, and the ends held in desired relativepositions.

[0005] A separate slider may be fixedly attached to each end of thecable.

[0006] Each slider may comprise of fabric sheath.

[0007] The cable may be a steel Bowden cable and arranged with its cableends splayed out to fascilite fixing the slider or anchoring the sheaththereto, as the case may be.

[0008] The strap may extend intermediate its length through a waistwallet or a neck travel wallet.

[0009] Adjustable security straps for carrying wallets will not bedescribed by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawingsin which:

[0010]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a waist wallet with an adjustablestrap;

[0011]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the wallet of FIG. 1 with adifferent strap;

[0012]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a neck wallet and adjustable strap;

[0013]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a slider fixed to a sheathed cableforming the strap; and

[0014]FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a slider fixed to a double sheathedcable forming the strap.

[0015] Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a waist wallet 10 has zipperclosure 11 and an adjustable strap 12 that extends through the wallet.At each end of the strap a sliders 13 and 14 are anchored to end of thestrap so that the strap is held with an overlapping section 15. Thestrap is embraced and slidable in the sliders and by moving the sliders,the overall effective length of the strap can be adjusted.

[0016] In FIG. 2, the arrangement is very similar to FIG. 1 except thatonly one slider 13 is provided.

[0017] A neck wallet 16 is shown in FIG. 3 and arranged so that thestrap 12 with the sliders 13 and 14 of FIG. 1 can be adjusted to holdthe wallet 16 at a chosen height on the torso of a user. The wallet 16has a closure front flap 17 and a peripheral beading 18 through whichthe strap 12 is threaded.

[0018] As seen in FIG. 4, each strap 15 has central flexiblemulti-strand steel core 19 (sometimes referred to as a “Bowden cable”)with a fabric sheath 20. The slider 13 is anchored by stitching 21 to anend of the strap and extends over and embraces the other length of thestrap. Preferably, the end of the core 19 is splayed out and the fabricsheath is pulled past the splayed end and sewn across the sheath toprevent the sheath sliding back along the steel core. The slider 13 isarranged to slidingly grip the embraced part of the strap so that achosen adjusted effective length for the strap will be normallymaintained until specifically manually adjusted by the user.

[0019] In some cases, the sliders 13 and 14 will be provided at each endof the strap, as in FIGS. 1 and 3. In FIGS. 2 and 4, only one end of thestrap has a slider. In those cases, the end without a slider is stitched‘closed’ by sewing up the end of the sheath as chosen at 22. It will benoted that when stitching up the end, or fixing the slider, it ispreferable to make sure the fabric sheath is pulled taut along the core19 and cut-away, otherwise the sheath will or may banch up in use makingrelative sliding of the strap ends somewhat cumbersome.

[0020] In FIG. 5, the strap is formed with two steel cores and thefabric sheath extending between the cores. (If preferred the fabricsheaths may be separately provided on each core as before and thesheaths joined by a webbing at 23). In FIG. 5, a slider 24 comprises arigid plastic plate 25 that is glued or stitched to an exposed section26 of the fabric sheath and surrounded by a cover 27, also stitched orglued in position to the plastic plate 25. A layer of ‘friction’material 28 is attached to an exposed face of the plastic plate andarranged to bear against the fabric sheaths of the strap passing throughand embraced by the cover 27.

[0021] The arrangement of FIG. 5 enables the strap to be adjusted in thesame manner as before and to form an adjusting of the effective lengthof the strap and a holding of the strap in the adjusted positions.

I claim:
 1. An adjustable security strap comprising a length offabric-sheathed flexible metal cable, in which one end of the cable isfixedly attached to slider that frictionally slidingly receives theother end of the cable to allow the effective length of the strap to beadjusted, by sliding the ends relative to one another, and the ends heldin desired relative positions.
 2. An adjustable security strap accordingto claim 1, in which a separate slider is fixedly attached to each endof the cable.
 3. An adjustable security strap according to claim 1 or 2,in each slider comprises of fabric sheath.
 4. An adjustable securitystrap according to any of claim 1 to 3, in which the cable is a steelBowden cable and is arranged with its cable ends splayed out tofascilite fixing the slider or anchoring the sheath thereto, as the casemay be.
 5. An adjustable security strap according to any of claims 1 to4, in which the strap extends intermediate its length through a waistwallet.
 6. An adjustable security strap according to claim 1 to 5, inwhich the strap extends intermediate its length through a neck travelwallet.